Archive for November, 2008

30
Nov

Challenges of Internet Security – Your Best Weapons (Part 1)

By Blink 7 0 Comments
Categories: Technology

Online computer hacking has evolved from harmless pranks to big business: gangs of data thieves operate from Russia and China with near impunity. Tens of thousands of stolen credit card numbers are offered for sale on a weekly basis with a single card number selling for as little as $0.40. Home computer users have been overwhelmed by a continuous stream of viruses, trojans, spam, spyware and adware that threaten to introduce unwanted data or steal sensitive data – all while slowing PC’s to a crawl.

A cottage industry has developed for computer “experts” who promise to clean and tune-up home computers for prices ranging between $35 and $100 per treatment. Many of these would-be entrepreneurs are using software tools (often free to download) that can be installed and operated by the average user.

In the first of a two part series, we will look at two indispensable tools for securing your computer or home network. While this series is geared towards internet security, most of the tools described are useful even on machines with no internet access.

Disclaimers

  1. Neither the author of this article nor the original host websites (Blink7, Cynics Unlimited) are directly affiliated with the authors of any of the software mentioned. All software recommendations are based on available test results, personal experience and feedback from users who have sought technical assistance from the author. No compensation was received for any mention or endorsement of software products.
  2. Of course none of the following tools can guarantee a 100% safe computer. Hackers, virus-creators and unscrupulous advertising companies are always developing new ways to get around existing security measures and attack/survey the contents of our machines. True network security “experts” are few in number and not all are working for the good guys. Still, there are several classes of consumer-based tools and software packages that will improve the defenses of the average user. Despite some of the annoyances related to installing extra software to “monitor” user activity, consumers should welcome the opportunity to reduce possible instances of data loss, identity theft and other privacy intrusions.

Weapon #1 – Antivirus Tool

Definition:

Strictly speaking, a computer virus is a tiny software program than can replicate itself and transmit from computer to computer via executable code. Targeted transport programs range from the standard .exe file to a macro program embedded in a Microsoft word file. Computers can be infected via local networks, Internet transmission and removable media (including floppy disks, USB keys and burned CD’s). In every day conversation, viruses are classified together with worms, malware, trojans and adware as self-installing, unwanted software capable of delivering a payload to an infected machine. The payload could be innocuous (a simple message), irritating (pop up advertisements) or downright dangerous (deleting files, formatting hard drives). Regardless of payload, these all consume disk space and sap computer resources during execution.

Antivirus software detects and attempts to eliminate viruses by scanning the computer’s memory and files for “signatures” of known viruses. Most antivirus tools have a database of known signatures (sometimes known as virus definitions) that must be updated continually. Files infected with a virus can sometimes be cured but in other cases need to be quarantined or deleted. Some antivirus programs remain active in memory to prevent infections by known viruses and equivalents.

Benefits:

Viruses and similar programs consume resources and cause havoc, period. Antivirus software can prevent small inconveniences like having to reload windows and larger inconveniences such as data loss. Most major packages are easy to install, require minimal configuration and automatically update virus definitions (internet connection required).

Costs and Risks:

Antivirus software can also use computer sources, especially if running continuously in the background. Not all antivirus software is equal and some packages have even proven to be viruses themselves. No single antivirus program performs all types of scans but it is generally not recommended to run more than one package on a single machine. Antivirus programs cannot actively monitor internet traffic and provide only minimal protection against non-viral threats (eg adware embedded inside user-installed software).

Recommended Software:

Choosing an antirvirus programs has taken on nearly religious connotations but the two leading free programs are produced by AVG and Avast. Norton Antivirus and Kaspersky Antivirus dominate the commercial market, though BitDefender Antivirus provides a slightly cheaper and higher-rated alternative.

Weapon #2 – Personal Firewall

Definition:

Similar to the heavy wall used to prevent a fire from spreading throughout a building, network firewalls apply a series of user-defined policies to prevent the movement of malicious or unwanted data into an individual computer or an entire network. Some firewalls can also be configured to prevent certain data from being transmitted away from local machines. Firewalls regulate network traffic flow through the use of “zones” – computers within a trust zone may be able to communicate freely but computers within a less trustworthy zone (usually called the Internet zone) may only be allowed to communicate with trusted-zone computers in certain instances. Data packets containing information not approved by the firewall’s policy are altered or discarded.

The typical consumer-level firewall is software-based and combines network layer filtering with application-layer filtering. Network layer filtering policies filter traffic based on packet-specific attributes such as IP address (source and destination), port and transportation protocol. Application layer filtering policies evaluate traffic by learning the user’s applications (such as a web browser or FTP program) so it can prevent misuse of standard data ports or attempts to sneak data through the wrong port.

Benefits:

A firewall can be the single most useful tool in preventing all types of threats. A properly configured firewall can stop a virus from entering a local network, prevent websites from automatically installing malicious software and stop local spyware from transmitting local data to an outside source. Firewall software can indirectly alert a user to potentially harmful programs when requesting a policy decision on whether to allow a previously-unseen program to connect to the internet.

Costs and Risks:

Even the best firewall is only as good as its policy and few people have the expertise to set up a bullet-proof network system. Recent firewall programs, such as ZoneAlarm, have improved user friendliness by automatically configuring settings for well-known software programs and requesting user decisions via pop-up windows when a previously-unknown program attempts to access the network or perform other low-level operations. Some users may become annoyed by the constant questions and simply turn the firewall off. Other users may inadvertently allow access to a malicious program or prevent necessary access for a legitimate program, putting the local computer at risk. A poor policy is just as dangerous as no policy at all.

Recommended Software:

Matousec’s comprehensive firewall tests resulted in a second place rating for Comodo Internet Security 3.5 (Nov 2008). This highly-configurable firewall is available for free and contains no functionality limitations. Some users have complained about Comodo’s tendency to ask many detailed questions they cannot answer. Changing program settings can alleviate this problem, though the commercial firewall Online Armour 3.x may be a more novice-friendly alternative. ZoneAlarm Pro is another popular program that receives generally high ratings on security tests.

P2P and Bit Torrent users may wish to consider adding Peer Guardian 2 to supplement their preferred firewall program. Peer Guardian blocks all internet communication with IP’s found within several blacklists (P2P, spyware, government, ads). If you’re trading MP3’s on Limewire, chances are you don’t want Media Sentry to know about it.

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06
Nov

The Jean Springer Story

By Emilia Liz 4 Comments
Categories: Society and Toronto

Exactly a year and six days after the shooting death of Jane Creba on Boxing Day 2005, Toronto witnessed the murder of another woman, Jean Springer. On January 1 2007, Ms. Springer, a sixty-year-old accountant originally from Trinidad and Tobago, responded to a knock on her door from Altaf Ibrahim, a former classmate of her son Anton. Ibrahim asked to talk to Anton. When Springer replied that Anton no longer lived with her, Ibrahim took a gun and fired at her, killing her instantly.

The incident was covered extensively by Toronto’s newspapers and television stations. Ms. Springer was an active member of her Methodist church and affectionately known as “Auntie Jean” in her neighbourhood. Commentators spoke of the loss her death represented not only for her family but for her entire community.

Details were meanwhile emerging about her assailant, Altaf Ibrahim. According to acquaintances of his, he was a schizophrenic who had stopped taking his medication. He also had a history of contact with the police, stays in psychiatric facilities, and involvement in a knife-wielding attack. At some point he became convinced that Anton Springer was trying to rape his (Ibrahim’s) mother. Police speculated that Anton, rather than Jean Springer herself, may have been Ibrahim’s intended target. At the end of October this year, Ibrahim was found to be not criminally responsible for Springer’s death because his mental condition prevented him from recognizing the wrongfulness of his act. The Ontario Review Board has yet to decide his fate.

The Springer case raises a thorny question: should people with mental illness be made to take medication against their will to stop them from harming others (or themselves for that matter)? If Altaf Ibrahim had been forced to do so, would Jean Springer still be alive today? Of course not all mentally disturbed individuals are violent. However, in the last year or so Canada has seen a spate of violent crimes committed by people with psychiatric problems. In May, a man in Calgary who had earlier complained of being “possessed” fatally stabbed his wife, two of his three daughters, a tenant in his home, and finally himself. Two months later a man believed to have paranoid schizophrenia attacked and killed a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus. This man, like Ibrahim, had refused to seek treatment for his condition.

In a way, coerced medical treatment goes against the freedoms that we in Western society hold dear. Adults are generally permitted to decline medical care even if doing so costs them their lives or if the reasons for their refusal appear irrational. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses reject blood transfusions on the grounds that several Biblical verses forbid the consumption of blood – an interpretation incomprehensible to most other Christian denominations. One argument for mandating psychiatric treatment versus, say, a blood transfusion or kidney donation is that mental illness affects the brain and by definition renders those affected by it irrational. Just as Altaf Ibrahim was unable to make a choice of whether or not to shoot Jean Springer, he was incapable of deciding whether or not to take his “meds.”

One concern about forced psychiatric treatment stems from the fact that throughout history people with no real mental conditions have been deemed insane and subjected to inhumane procedures in an attempt to “cure” them. Dissidents in the former Soviet Union, for instance, were sometimes confined to psychiatric institutions for questioning Communist doctrine. In one case described by Russian journalist Cathy Young, a man in this position was drugged to the point of being unable to form a complete sentence. Nor have the West’s actions towards individuals considered mentally ill always been sterling. Homosexuality, for example, was viewed as a psychological disorder until 1974, and many gay youths were sent to mental hospitals where they forcibly underwent “treatments” ranging from castration to electroconvulsive shock to aversion therapy. One difference between homosexuality and schizophrenia, though, is that while attitudes towards the former have varied across time and place, in almost all cultures individuals with symptoms suggestive of schizophrenia are recognized as not being normal.

While I myself am in favour of individual liberty and the right to reject medical care, in the case of the mentally ill I believe forced treatment has a place at times. In a sense it even seems inhumane to deny such patients treatment that might alleviate their suffering but that they lack the ability to consent to (I know this from personal experience; an aunt of mine committed suicide after a long struggle with what was probably bipolar disorder). More importantly, there is the principle of “Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.” From that perspective, Ms. Springer’s right to safety and ultimately life itself should have taken precedence over Altaf Ibrahim’s right to refuse his medication.

This does not necessarily mean that all individuals with mental problems should be locked up in institutions permanently (in Ibrahim’s case I think he should be, not to make him “pay” for his crime but to protect others from his actions). Regular visits from a nurse or social worker might be the most cost-effective means of ensuring that some mentally ill patients can function in society without hurting themselves or others. But if coerced medical treatment can prevent tragedies like the Springer murder, it should not be ruled out entirely.

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06
Nov

Obama’s Campaign = Classic Sun Tzu

By Cynapse 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

If I determine the enemy’s disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless: if it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it.
-Sun Tzu
“The Art of War”

Barrack Obama’s campaign was about everything and nothing at the same time. He essentially became the pinnacle of what the voter wanted for America … or what was feared the most. His agenda became transparent to the point where his enemies could not even tie him to the nefarious words and deeds of his previous associates. By the same token, few could name any definitive action he would likely take once in office but this seemed secondary to the feelings he evoked in his followers. Formlessness maximized Obama’s reach among neutral voters, as they could fashion him any way they wanted.

Obama’s ground-breaking campaign will be studied for years to come, with elements being used by both parties. It turns out less really can be more in an election.

For the record, Obama seems set to govern from the center, just as predicted here at CU. House speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested he do just that:

“At a time of this economic crisis, our priority should be very clear about what we need to do,” she said. “Each side of the spectrum can hope to influence the decision. But the fact is that a new president coming in, in my view, must take the country down the middle to solve the problems, to gain the confidence, to take us more strongly in a new direction.”
-Nancy Pelosi

Also, Obama’s first appointment, Emanuel Rahm, is a master Democratic strategist but also a strong supporter of Israel and originally supported George W Bush’s Iraq war.

Obama’s old radical friends must be apoplectic. His detractors should be relieved.

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04
Nov

2008 U.S. Presidential Election Day Blog

By Cynapse 1 Comment
Categories: American Politics, Politics and Uncategorized

8:10am – Election Summary

Will history be made today in the United States of America?

Although the polls seem to be leaning heavily in Democrat Barrack Obama’s favour (the final FOX poll put him ahead of McCain by 7 points) this race is still too close to call. The winner will be determined according to which one of the following effects is stronger –

The Bradley Effect – Describes a phenomenon where a non-white candidate’s polling numbers are inflated when running against a white candidate. The cause is white voters telling pollsters they are undecided or in favour of the non-white candidate so not to appear “racist”. This effect was so named after Tom Bradley, a black candidate who lost the 1992 California governor’s race despite being well ahead in the polls.

The Cellphone Effect – Most polls do not target cellphones. Obama supporters tend to be younger and use cell phones as their primary source of communication. The same can be said of the urban poor, who also are suspected to favour Obama over McCain. With their numbers unaccounted for, Obama’s support could be far above what has been reported in the media.

In terms of history, Obama will be America’s first black president … at least as America defines black. Not to bore one with technicalities, but Obama is probably less than 50% black – his mother (Ann Dunham) is white while his father belongs to the Kenyan Luo tribe. Obama’s father was a Muslim – a minority within the Luo and an indicator that he may be mixed with Arabic (though this has never been proven). Nonetheless, the 1 drop rule persists in America and to Obama is the “black guy” for this election.

Whoever wins, the election was a great disappointment. What could have been a high-profile battle of ideology for the ages instead denigrated into a vile partisan hate-fest where dead grandmothers, developmentally-disabled sons and teenage pregnancies all trumped ideas and plans. Small town white America bared its inner racist to the world while some of black America thought of little more than putting one of “their own” in office – regardless of what the man stood for. Some people saw the election as a final chance to voice their displeasure towards George W Bush while others tried to sidetrack it into another tiresome abortion referendum. The economy was a fleeting 5-day discussion, despite the fact that its fragile state imperils any other pet causes that small sects of Americans may conceive.

I started this election a McCain supporter because substance should always trump flashy rhetoric. Sure I want a black guy in office because middle class blacks are tired of being lumped together with the thugs and drug addicts. However, Obama’s campaign lacked substance in my view and the nation’s finances cannot afford his plans to expand health care or any other attempt to “spread the wealth” as he puts it. Luckily for Obama, John McCain’s campaign went surreal by first choosing an obscure fundamentalist-courting governor as a running mate then by launching a “southern strategy lite” where by Obama’s demographic differences were lightly touched upon to the expected jeering of scared rednecks. If McCain was ever a maverick, he sacrificed it the minute he signed up with the evangelical cheesecake. He disappointed me greatly and my support moved cautiously towards Obama.

9:05 pm – Early Lead for Obama

A big early lead more-like. Projections show a 174-49 lead. Master Republican strategist Karl Rove has already gone on record to declare Obama will win a landslide. Despite all the controversy created by Congressman John Murtha (referring to his state as racist), Pennsylvania seems to be giving Obama the nod. Florida is close, which is bad news for McCain because he needs to win that state after losing PA. Although the horizon looks bright for Obama … slight skepticism would still be prudent.

A total blowout for Obama would be tragic in one way – John McCain’s career should not end with such a stunning defeat. Unfortunately he took the reigns of a battered GOP as a moderate when the moderates were flocking to the Democrat Party. He had to make a deal with a hard-right evangelical base that doesn’t trust him and was forced to be the front-man for all kinds of ugly activity.

CNN made an interesting observation – race was statistically NOT an issue with voters. Obama is handily leading among voters who race was a factor and those who said race wasn’t a factor. Conversely, age is costing McCain dearly, with Obama enjoying approximately 75% support among voters who declared age is a factor.

9:40pm – A Surprise

Ohio has given its electoral votes to Obama as well. Assuming Obama will win California no matter what, McCain has to win nearly every remaining state to acquire the necessary 270 electoral votes. Unfortunately, these states include Hawaii, Oregon and Washington – likely Democrat-leaning states. The GOP have turned off news telecasts in their hotel reception for McCain, all but conceding defeat.

11:00pm – Victory

Obama wins Virginia, another key state. CNN has declared Barrack Obama the 44th president of the United States. 297-139. History has been made!

CNN obviously wanted to make history as well, given their news room looks like a Stark Trek set. Political analysts quickly dissected statistics on huge touch screen monitors and conversed with 3D holograms of reporters “beamed” into the studio.

11:25pm – McCain’s Speech Very Classy

John McCain delivered one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard and he doesn’t even seem to be reading it. He’s managed to make the GOP faithful cheer for the historic significance of the election and took the entire blame for the failure of the campaign (which the public resisted). His tone was not even and not embittered. McCain’s reference to Sarah Palin drew mostly cheers but a surprising number of boos. Sarah Palin looks nearly ready to shed a tear. The constant boos from the crowd are definitely annoying McCain. Quotable line: “We never hide from history; We make history”

Honestly, it’s regrettable McCain had to run in this election.

11:58pm – Obama’s Acceptance Speech

What I wouldn’t give to be in that audience …

Obama’s initial message was obvious: yes we did. The crowd actually cheered for John McCain the first time his name was mentioned. Grace in victory is a good trait. Obama played heavily to skeptics who think he’s an elitist by highlighting the grassroots nature of his campaign – from the humble beginnings to the millions of ordinary Americans who made him a household name. Very wise of the President-elect to list all the problems he is going to face (mortgage meltdown, Afghanistan, recession). Just like a lawyer, he’s throwing in mitigating language (“we may not get there in one year, or even one term”) but his offer of hope was followed by frenzied chants of “yes we can!” (which were repeated many times by Obama and his audience in a call/response fashion).

Obama’s seemed to have started his term immediately by giving commands to the audience to get involved right away in community building and not see the election victory as a victory but rather an opportunity. He reached across the divide to moderate GOP’s by quoting Lincoln and reminding the audience that the Republicans started in Illinois and that their values really “aren’t so different”

The public was eating out of his hand and that speech will also be one for the ages.

Addendum

Robert Fulford, a staunch conservative and highly critical of Obama’s platform, has delivered a summary for the ages on the historical significance of the campaign:

Robert Fulford: A Divide has Been Crossed

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01
Nov

All Saints Day

By Emilia Liz 0 Comments
Categories: Religion

Many workplaces give their employees a calendar with a list of public holidays. One date however that would virtually never appear in such a calendar in the United States or Canada but might in other countries is November 1, All Saints Day. All Saints Day traces its beginnings to the latter part of the third century AD. It was originally known as All Martyrs Day to honour those who had died for their Christian faith, but it was later extended to include all the faithful departed. At first All Saints Day was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Though the Eastern Orthodox Church continues to observe it on this date, the Western (Catholic and Protestant) denominations moved it to the first of November. Churches that choose to observe All Saints Day do so on the Sunday following November 1.

The term “saint” should be explained in more detail. Strictly speaking, the “saints” refer to all baptized members of the Church, both living and dead. In more popular usage a saint is a person who has distinguished him- or herself by having lived an exemplary life on earth. Examples of saints include Biblical characters such as Saint Luke or Saint Paul as well as later figures like Saint Olav, the king who brought Christianity to Norway, or Saint Ansgar, the “Apostle to the North” (Northern Europe). All Saints Day honours all these individuals. The holiday can also be a time to cherish the memory of deceased relatives or friends who have in their own way contributed to the Church. For instance, on All Saints Day I like to remember a late aunt of mine who taught Sunday school to children in her parish.

While, as mentioned before, in Canada and the United States All Saints Day is not a public holiday, in a number of other nations – particularly those in Southern Europe and Latin America – it is. Many of these countries have elaborate traditions surrounding this day, usually in commemoration of the dead. For example, in Mexico people bring food to the graves of family members, whereas Italian children supposedly receive gifts from dead relatives. The purpose of such celebrations is to recognize in a symbolic fashion that although those who have passed away are no longer with us on earth, their memory lives on and deserves to be treasured.

In North America All Saints Day coincides with Halloween (literally a contraction of “All Hallows Evening,” the evening before All Saints, “hallow” being an Old English word meaning “holy”). Halloween is somewhat controversial from a Christian perspective. Some Christians consider it merely a secular holiday to be enjoyed by children and adults who want to dress up for the occasion. In countries with a history of commemorating All Saints Day on November 1, ecclesiastical authorities understandably fear the introduction of Halloween may eclipse existing traditions. Other Christians have condemned the holiday for its pagan elements and celebration of the occult, with demons, witches, ghosts and goblins. The Lutheran Church lacks an official position on Halloween. However, some Lutherans have attempted to take the focus away from the largely secular Halloween and emphasize Reformation Day. October 31 after all was the date on which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.

Personally I like the fact that All Saints Day hasn’t been contaminated by the commercialism that has affected Christmas and Easter (holidays that I nonetheless love for their religious significance and emphasis on family). All Saints Day connects all the saints, of today and yesterday. Therefore it deserves to be celebrated.

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